(PORTAGE) - Police in northwestern Indiana say a 16-year-old boy brought a loaded pellet gun to school and showed it off to other students.

Police say officers were called to Portage High School after a student reported Tuesday afternoon that he had seen the teen with a pistol in a restroom of the 2,700-student school.

The Times of Munster reports that Portage police say the teen denied having a weapon until officers found the gun in a classroom. Officers reported that the boy said he brought the gun to school for protection because of an earlier off-campus confrontation.